“Three groups – one will clean and prepare the old church, one will go out to look for materials and tools, and one will work on defences.” Charles pointed at the line where normal, short grass and weeds met the waist height tallgrass. “The world changed beyond this border – we don’t know if it will happen again. So let’s call this the border of the Hallowed Ground. Our safe haven.”

  He then pointed at the cliffs to their west, and the sea of tallgrass all around the Hallowed Ground. “We have no cloth to turn the church into a shelter, so we’ll do it the old way. Gather as much grass as you can and let Mrs. Yule teach some of you how to weave it into something we can use.” He glanced at the elderly woman and her two granddaughters.

  “Of course,” Mrs. Yule said with a warm smile. “And drop that Mrs. thing, will you?” She patted she shoulders of her granddaughters.

  “We’ll help. Grandma taught us.” One of the girls said. She couldn’t be older than Clara.

  “Thank you,” Charles then turned his gaze to Clara. “Help the people gather enough material for Mrs- Harriet and her granddaughters, please.”

  Clara shot Alaric a glance before nodding.

  “I want a team helping Clara, and another to go out with Alaric to the west.”

  Clara’s eyes widened. “What?” She exclaimed. “You’re leaving? But what if-“

  “Is that even safe?” Someone else spoke up, emboldened by her outburst.

  “We need firewood, something to boil water in, and a lot more than that to survive.” Charles shot Clara a sharp glance before trying to calm the worried crowd. “We can’t sit here in relative safety, you all saw the new mission-“

  “Easy for you to say!” A man not much older than Alaric spoke up through gritted teeth. “What will you do, huh? Stay here and command us? You’re just making sure you and your sister don’t have to take any risk-“ He suddenly gasped, and stumbled backwards, holding his side.

  Ava pulled her elbow back, then walked towards Alaric. “I’m going with him. And you – since you so kindly volunteered.” Her voice was sharp like a whip as she smirked. “Anyone else?”

  “I- no I didn’t-“ The man stammered as he noticed the angry gazes of the crowd focus on him. “But-“

  “You are such a gentleman.” Harriet said with the sweetest smile. “Now, shall we all get to work? Clara, dear, come,” She stood up and walked up to the edge of the tallgrass to show Clara how tall she needed each piece to be.

  “Are you sure?” Alaric leaned towards Ava. “You could help Clara.”

  The girl shook her head. “No. He’s right, my brother will stay here, so one of us needs to take some risks.” She then smirked. “Besides, I’m strong. I’ll protect you if anything happens.” She winked, then headed to the still lingering crowd. “Right, thanks all for joining us, but I don’t think we need this many people. All of you…” she pulled half the crowd to the left – about a dozen people – and then pointed at Clara. “Go help her. The rest, follow us. We’re going with Alaric.”

  “Right,” Alaric felt his chest tighten as he looked at Ava and the other five people. One of them was the man who protested against Charles. He was pale in the face, and visibly afraid of stepping outside the Hallowed Ground. The other four were three men and a woman.

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  Alaric immediately recognised the woman. She was the one who arrived limping – the one with the child. “You-“

  “I’ll come.” She raised her chin and glared at him with defiance. “We’re going to the cliffs, aren’t we? We should try and find a good vantage point.”

  Alaric nodded with a sigh. Mother or not – if they were sending a highschooler like Ava, then she had every right to come as well. Who was he to stop her? “Agreed.” He glanced at the system’s countdown, then at the child following Harriet.

  “Harriet is an old friend of my mum.” The woman said with a faint smile. “And like a grandmother to Arthur.”

  “That’s a relief.” He muttered, then rummaged through his backpack until he found his notebook and pen. They would have to make their own maps. A part of him wondered if it was necessary – how long were they going to be here anyways? The optimist in him wanted to believe this would all be over soon. That they could return to their previous lives. To their normal lives.

  Deep down he knew that wasn’t possible. A single glance at the mist-covered spires that once was Fairford was proof enough. The world had changed. It had been forced to change. People had died – there was no coming back from that. Their old lives were no more.

  “What if there are snakes and stuff in this grass?” The man who had challenged Charles cried out as they made their way west. He was jumpy, his gaze darting around at the slightest movement. His face pale, he looked at Alaric with pleading eyes. “What if there are worse things?”

  “We’ll find out soon enough.” Alaric muttered as he stepped forward. The grass parted as he passed through. He felt a little guilty as his steps crushed the tall blades of grass, leaving a visible trail where he passed. “Come on, we don’t have many hours of sunlight left, and I don’t want to be out there after dusk.”

  The others followed a few steps behind him, albeit with some hesitation and concern. A chilly breeze tugged at their hair and clothes as they made their way west.

  “What’s your names?” Ava’s voice broke the silence after a while of walking.

  “Sarah.” The woman replied.

  “Jason.” The man who challenged Charles also replied a few seconds later. “I’m sorry for what I told your brother-“

  “No, you were right about somethings there.” Ava chuckled. “I mean – he wasn’t trying to have me hide behind you guys, but it’s good to get suspicions like that out of the way.”

  Alaric turned his attention forward. It was hardly the time for idle chatter. They were in alien and possible hostile lands. Nothing looked like it used to – it was hard to believe this place was England. His gaze scoured the terrain ahead of them.

  The cliffs were still quite far, blocking their path to the western part of the mountains surrounding the entirety of this region. The flat grasslands were cut in two by the river passing through the Hallowed Ground. His gaze followed the river. It snaked north, then west from the Hallowed Ground, until it reached the cliffs. His gaze lingered on the waterfall for a while before looking in front, at a rather large patch of medium sized trees.

  “We can get firewood from there.” He pointed at the trees before hastening his steps. They had been walking for a little over twenty minutes, and there was probably about three hours till sundown. “Look for anything useful – fruits, straw, firewood, animal nests. Don’t take any unnecessary risks, and don’t wander around on your own.”

  They slowed down once they arrived at the trees. It was an orchard, with fruit bearing trees planted in rows, far enough from each other so their branches didn’t touch.

  “Apples!” Ava exclaimed as she rushed ahead. “And pear! We should bring these back, Alaric!”

  The branches were so heavy with the sheer number of the fruits that they hung low, ready to be plucked. He stared at the bright red apple hanging at the level of his eyes, then glanced around. He couldn’t help but feel uneasy. “Let’s look around first. Don’t touch anything.”

  Ava’s smile shattered. Jason’s hand stopped just shy of touching a pear. Even Sarah was reaching for one of the fruits, though she quickly pulled her hand away. “You’re right. It could be a trap.” She muttered, her face slightly red with embarrassment.

  “Maybe. Maybe I’m just paranoid.” He hoped it was the latter as they made their way through the orchard. The scent of fresh, delicious fruit made their mouths water. It was difficult to ignore the fact that they hadn’t eaten anything since before the Fall began.

  They walked through the trees for a while longer before a grey structure revealed itself behind the heavy branches. It was a large stele in the very centre of the orchard, surrounded by beautiful flowers and ferns